Yitzhak Sadeh

(1890 - 1952)

Born in
Lublin, Poland, Sadeh began his military career in the Russian army
during the First World War. He was decorated for bravery and rose to be
a battalion commander. He emigrated to Erez Israel in 1920, upon hearing
of the death of Joseph Trumpeldor, whom he had met three years earlier.

There he founded and led the Trumpeldor Labor Battalion (Gedud
ha-Avodah). When Arab riots broke out in 1936, Sadeh joined the
Haganah. He initiated a policy for defending settlements by going out to
attack the marauding Arab bands, rather than remaining behind the barbed
wire perimeters of the settlements to await raids. Haganah field
companies, which Sadeh commanded, were formed to implement this
strategy.

He was also one of the founders of the Palmach, and became its
first commanding officer in 1941. In 1945 he was promoted to acting
chief of the Haganah general staff, coordinating resistance against the
British. During the War of Independence he took part in several
operations, including the battle for Jerusalem. He retired from military
service at the end of the war.

Sadeh exercised a profound influence on the training, tactics and
strategy of the Israel Defense Forces and also wrote articles, short
stories, plays and memoirs. He is buried at Kibbutz Givat Brenner.